Here if You Need Me
by TEAM Shepard
Summary: Garrus and Maggie Shepard morn together the loss of the first human Spectre. Stand alone from "A Tale of Two Shepards" - takes place between ME1 and ME2
1. Chapter 1

_**Authors Note:**_

_**Drksyders here! I hope you enjoy this stand-alone short story "Here if You Need Me." This is an erotic spin-off from our fanfic "A Tale of Two Shepards." This liaison takes **__**place **__**between ME1 and ME2 - between Chapter 15: Coping and Chapter 16: Work/Life Balance. More chapters coming soon. If you like it, please visit our other stories. Your favorites, follows, and comments are much appreciated!**_

* * *

**Chapter 1: Late Night Calibrations**

Sergeant Major Margaret Lynn Shepard lay in bed and watched the shadow of a Keeper stalk slowly across her ceiling. The spider-like visage passed over her slender face, framed by long flowing dark hair and pillowed on lean muscular biceps behind her head. The young woman stretched across the tiny military bunk in nothing more than her Alliance issue skives. The coarse fabric pulled taught over pale caramel skin and her dog tags pooled into a lump in the center of her chest beneath her tank top.

She forced her eyes closed and tried to will herself to sleep. Just when the peace and quiet began to settle over her, her squaddie erupted into snores on the other side of the room.

There was no sleep tonight.

There was only one window in her sub-basement barracks on the Citadel and she was the unlucky Alliance NCO whose bed was placed underneath it. The artificial daylight of the Presidium streamed through the window twenty-eight hours a day. The young Engineer had hung a sheet over the panes in a vain attempt block out the light for the sleep cycles. Yet, the silhouetted spider-like shape still crept across her ceiling. Maggie watched it with numb fascination.

Giving up on sleep, the young woman lifted herself out of bed and flopped into the seat in front of her console. If she was going to be awake, she might as well work. Her weary red-brown eyes began to roam across the lines of data from her brother's mission reports with grim determination.

Everyone had always said it was her eyes that smiled, her eyes that were full of life, and her eyes that made her _unmistakably _her brother's sister. It was her eyes that betrayed her now when the tears threatened again.

_Don't avenge me, Mags. Make me proud. I love ya and I'll see you on the other side. _Her brother's last message echoed in her memory.

She hoped she was making him proud.

Her brother had been Commander John Shepard, savior of the Galaxy, hero of the Citadel, and the first Human Spectre aboard the _SSV Normandy._ Two weeks ago in the Omega system, his prototype vessel had been destroyed.

Just like the _Normandy_, Commander Shepard was gone forever.

Grief-fueled hours slipped by as Maggie analyzed the most recent data from the attack. At approximately 0315, a message popped into the edge of her screen. It came from a Citadel Security account and it snapped her out of her grief-fueled haze.

_From: GVakarian*csec-citgov_

_To: MightyMaggie*shepnet-oracle_

_Date: Feburary 28, 2184_

_Subject: Go to Sleep_

_Maggie - _

_Listening to your foul language is bad enough in the mornings without you being over-tired and mispronouncing things._

_Insomnia can kill you._

_- G_

Maggie couldn't help smiling at the message. But, that smile darkened as slowly a thought scrambled through her brain.

_How does Garrus know I'm awake?_

Her eyes darted quickly around the barracks space and just above the door she found her answer. A small C-Sec security monitor vigilantly monitored her from the upper corner. She hacked into the messaging channel for it's feed and her fingers flew over the interface.

_MS: What the fuck, Garrus? Are you watching me sleep!? That's just goddamn creepy!_

The response came in seconds.

_GV: Doesn't look like you're asleep._

Maggie turned towards the camera and offered it her middle digit and a smirk. Her terminal beeped again.

_GV: Extra fingers… so useless._

_MS: I'm not going to bother explaining to you what that means….still angry that you're watching._

_GV: You should be sleeping. I did warn you about C-Sec's monitoring of non-council military detachments._

_MS: You did. But, that doesn't mean YOU are the one watching. I see you're not asleep either. You working on those calibrations?_

_GV: And, other things. Come spend the night here again - at least my apartment has shaded windows and no surveillance._

Maggie stared uncertainly at the terminal for a moment. There was a lot more weight to the invitation than the mere words suggested. And, Maggie hated to admit that the last few hours of decent sleep she'd managed was almost four cycles ago. She'd spent that night in Garrus' bed after failing to attend her own brother's memorial service. As if sensing her uncertainty, the terminal chimed once more.

_GV: And, I've got wine._

Maggie smiled.

_MS: You should've opened with that - I'm on my way._

* * *

Enroute to Garrus' apartment, Maggie picked up a few items she was pretty sure they wouldn't need. But, it never hurt to be prepared.

As she paid for the levo-dextro allergy inhibitors, lotions, and "protection," the late-night Volus clerk gave her a wink. At least, she thought it was a wink since one glowing visor orb blinked off then on again.

"Quarian or Turian, Earth-Clan?"

"Excuse me?"

"I'll bet it's…. a Quarian...I've heard those... neural stimulators can be…"

"Mind your own damn business!" Maggie growled and the Volus seemed to chuckle.

"Earth-Clan are...really uptight."

Maggie shoved her purchases into the oversized pockets of her engineering coveralls and stomped out of the store before her flushed cheeks could prove the Volus right.

The encounter at the store made her even more anxious. Four nights before she'd shared awkward night of grief-fueled sex with Garrus. Then, they'd continued along like nothing had happened. Part of her had started to wonder if she'd just dreamed the whole affair. Now, she was going over to his apartment in the middle of the night and he had _invited _her.

_Did that mean something more? I could still turn back for the barracks..._

Maggie found her knees bouncing wildly as she sat on the near-empty transport enroute to Garrus' apartment. Her mind was dancing about just as badly. Part of her simply couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that maybe this was a bad idea. Garrus has been her brother's friend after all. They'd been through hell together and the Turian was probably struggling with just as much grief as she was. Plus, his sister was a friend and he was a different species after all.

Doubt began to nag at her.

Then, she remembered the gleam of the curving metallic plates covering his chest, the deep thrum of his flanged voice when he panted and they way his odd Turian hips had bucked beneath her. She shivered. Just the thought had made sitting on the transport a bit warmer and damper than before.

_Oh man… I'm getting myself into trouble again,_ she sighed to herself, embarrassed at her own thoughts.

Fuck it. She was a grown woman, consenting adult and all that. So was he. Well, a grown Turian that is. Getting laid never hurt anyone….unless they wanted it to.

With renewed determination, she punched at the panel of his apartment building. She smiled up at the camera and the door swished open immediately. Maggie headed for the elevator.

* * *

Garrus held his breath and stared at his screen, awaiting Maggie's response to his invitation. He caught himself rubbing the back of his own neck, a nervous and flirtatious gesture, as he sat at the terminal of his apartment.

He glanced at the C-Sec surveillance feed of Maggie's barracks on his second monitor. It had been frighteningly easy to hack. In an odd fit of possessive protection, he'd bolstered the security on the feed so no one else could view it. Unless, they were better at security systems than he was and there weren't many who could make that claim.

In the streaming images, he watched the youngest Shepard study her terminal. Her odd and dangerously long red-streaked fringe flowed down her back, sticking out oddly in places. She stooped in front of the glowing screen as shadow of a keeper stalked across her ceiling. Even without seeing her face, Garrus could still read her mood easily.

It was almost two months now that he'd spent with her. Nearly every waking hour, day-in and day-out. He knew every little detail of her expressions and body language. It was an awareness he simply couldn't turn off when he was around her, especially since _that_ night four cycles ago. Even on the display, he could sense her razor-sharp mind weighing pros and cons; analyzing his words for implications and snares. He'd have to push her past the uncertainty. Something humorous, something fun...

He typed quickly.

_GV: And, I've got wine._

His mandibles flared wide into a grin when he saw her response. Garrus was rubbing his neck again.

The back of Turian necks were an erogenous zone and his body was practically buzzing with lustful desire. He'd made the mistake of doing a bit of research that evening, muti-tasking with his weapons calibrations. He never would have guessed that Humans had only been around the galactic scene for 30 years based on the sheer number of Fornax vids they produced.

Humans must have an insatiable appetite for porn.

Despite the immense volume of Human erotica on the extra-net, there were still a relatively small number of Human/Turian sources. But, there were plenty enough to give him some guidelines, sate his curiosity, and set his hormones raging. Coupled with his memories of his brief tryst with Maggie, he was teetering on the edge of sanity. With Shepard gone and the Reapers practically knocking at the door, Garrus figured the galaxy had already gone crazy.

He might as well go crazy right along with it.

The Spectre candidate pushed himself away from his terminal and tried to tidy up his apartment. There wasn't much to tidy. Weapons bench, work station, tiny kitchenette of food, then bedroom. He'd made sure to stock some levo-friendly breakfast this time and...other supplies.

Even as a C-Sec Officer, Grrus had always been a loner entirely focused on his work. He'd pretty much forgotten what it was like to sleep with someone. Until, he'd found Maggie sobbing in his arms. Garrus had been lost in his grief over Shepard's death and there was something about sharing that pain that had woken him up. Her closeness, her scent, everything about that night was breaking away the last shreds of an old life. One that Shepard had already turned upside down.

He'd lost that life now - just like he'd lost Shepard. He had nothing left except pain...except her.

And, it had felt so damn good to have sex again! In five years on the Citadel, Garrus had only indulged in one fling with an old squadmate. The solitude hadn't bothered him in the slightest. But, since that night with Maggie, sex had been practically bubbling through his mind. He felt like a short-fringed, awkward teenager again.

Garrus liked to think that he'd matured past the stupid, hormonally driven flings of his military life. Most Turians spent their military years in a fluid mix of sexual exploration and combat. Basic Core Competency Training (BCCT), or the four years of training that constituted Garrus' personal version of hell, lasted through most of a young Turian's impressionable years. Garrus had to admire the social engineering of Turian society. BCCT packed up all the rampaging impressionable teenage Turians, inundated them with insane amounts of physical and mental conditioning, dosed them all with birth control, and kept them under tight supervision for four years until they'd grown up and learned a bit of sense.

Sense he had entirely lost thanks to a tiny human girl.

It was the smell, Garrus decided. It clouded his thinking. From the first moment he woke up next to her, he could smell her. He could still pick up her scent, faint like a distant ocean, on his clothes and lurking in his bedroom. Every time he inhaled it, he felt the closeness, the trust, the pain, the weight of her body moving on top of his. The smell broke him and he was helpless to stem the tide of want. Even when she was by his side, covered in grime, wielding a sniper rifle, or just laughing at a bad joke, he couldn't stop himself from _wanting_.

Four days of wallowing in desire and several hours browsing Fornax had driven him to the bold invitation that evening. It felt like a grinding century before the display panel on his apartment wall chimed. Garrus saw her smiling face on the monitor and buzzed her in without a word through the intercom.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Am I making you nervous?**

_I never thought I'd ever see a nervous Turian_. Maggie thought. She had to bite the inside of her cheek to hold back the giggles.

Garrus stumbled about the tiny apartment adjusting the lights, changing the music, and brandishing a bottle of levo-dextro neutral wine. His awkward and uncertain behavior reminded her of a nerdy teenager and completely unlike the collected, clever, sarcastic soldier she thought she knew.

Maggie could only take so much of his babbling. When he called her waist "supportive" and complimented her "fringe," her laughter over-took all self-control. At her giggles, a look of pure dejection crossed the Turian's mandibles. It melted Maggie's heart.

"Hopefully...that's not offensive in Human culture...Throw me a line here, Maggie." Garrus tried to recover weakly.

"I"m not a Turian and I'm not offended. I don't know about you, Garrus, but let's just start with wine," she teased.

She brushed her body against his as she stepped past him to shut off the music. Garrus seemed to inhale sharply when she got close. Taking the bottle of wine in one hand and his talon in the other Maggie led the bumbling Turian into his own bedroom. The battle-hardened sniper followed her in a dream-like trance.

Garrus' already pale blue eyes looked downright captivating. Instead of heading straight for the bed, Maggie guided them to the floor at the foot of the bed. She sat cross-legged with her back against the mattress and set about drinking the wine as Garrus settled himself on her left. She'd always sat with John on the floor when things were serious. It felt right somehow to share that small gesture with Garrus, even if he didn't understand it.

As they passed the bottle between them, taking turns drinking, Maggie reached into her pocket.

"So… uhm…" she began awkwardly, pulling out the allergy inhibitors she'd bought. "I wasn't sure if you had a reaction last time… we didn't really talk about it. But, just in case I thought…"

Garrus laughed nervously and nodded towards the bedside table, where the exact same box sat.

"I didn't… but I thought maybe you had."

"No. I got tested on Palaven." She blushed deeply, grateful that Garrus' blue visor mostly washed out the color in her cheeks.

"...right." Garrus mentally kicked himself. He should have remembered that. Instead, he took another swig from the bottle and passed it back to Maggie. She eyed what was left of the bottle and set it aside after a small sip.

"Everything was really… uhmm… sudden after John's memorial service. I'm not complaining - just wanted to make sure we're on the same page here. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Garrus took a deep breath and inched closer. His long Turian limbs made his movements on the floor cumbersome. He finally had to settle himself with his legs apart and his forearms resting on his knees.

Maggie studied his facial plates carefully, noticing how the tiny plates along his nose and forehead seemed to tense. Garrus' expression seemed strained as he spoke quietly

"Maggie - you're about the only friend I have left in this screwed up galaxy. I'm not going to pretend I've got a fetish for Humans, but it's not about that. This is about us. You don't ever have to worry about making me uncomfortable. Nervous, yes...but never uncomfortable."

Maggie grinned, a flash of smoldering mischief in her eyes as she slid herself between Garrus' ankles. She rose to her knees and met his avian eyes, carefully brushing her knee closer along his thigh. She jutted out a hip to add extra enticement, knowing exactly how much Turians liked hips.

"Am I making you nervous?"

Garrus swallowed the lump in his throat, leaning back until he was pressed against the foot of the bed. He looked her up and down, his mandibles clicking in tense appreciation. Maggie leaned forward, maintaining the closeness between them.

She had left her dark red-streaked hair free tonight and it tumbled in long waves over her shoulder until it fell even with his face. Playfully, she let her hair fall forward and tease along his fringe. Maggie noticed how he inhaled deeply again then tentatively reached forward.

Garrus ran the tip of a talon along the length of her hair. His other hand gripped her hip possessively. His eyes sought hers and his mandibles twitched into a Turian smile.

"You're a powerful, devious, and beautiful pyjack, Maggie," he teased. "I don't think you realize the effect you have on everyone around you. It's like you have your own gravity and everyone else is just swept away by it. So, hell yes...you make me nervous. I figured you'd just want something closer to home."

"I don't want something closer to home. I want you. I want someone I can trust...someone who understands...how it feels...with John gone.." She trailed off, a shadow of sadness passing over her face.

Garrus turned his head away sharply. His voice came out, choked with emotion.

"That I understand."

The blue light of Garrus' visor gave the scene an ethereal feel and Maggie could feel the shared pain drawing them together. But, this wasn't about pain.

She slid both her small hands to either side of his head and gently turned his face to her own once more. She drew her thumbs back and over his colony markings along his mandibles and felt them relax to her touch. She knew by tracing his markings, she was accepting or "approving" of his Colony. One of those weird Turian gestures.

She met his eyes and added the only other Turian gesture she knew of, lowering her forehead to his and forming "The Bond."

Garrus sighed. His head was swimming with her scent and his talons itched to touch her skin. His plates were flushed with heated desire and her skin felt cool and smooth. He could feel her knee brushing against his thigh as she'd moved closer still. His body ached to hold her, take her, and claim her. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, fueled by the deep pang of loyalty he always felt with The Bond. But, Shepard's lessons still rang true.

He had to do this right, not fast.

Garrus slipped his arms about her waist and pulled her protectively against him. He nuzzled his plated lips close to her ear, whispering against her skin.

"I just...I've seen so many things go wrong, Maggie. My work at C-Sec, the Council, your brother… I want something to go right just once. Just…"

Maggie dipped her head to Garrus' neck to lick a long, slow line up to the underside of his mandible. Garrus couldn't finish his thought; it fizzled in his mind at the touch of her wet, soft tongue.

"This is going to go right...and more than once… I won't have you holding out on me..." Maggie interrupted with devious smile.

She gently unclasped Garrus' omni-tool and her own. She'd powered them both down and set them aside. They shared a brief look, truly alone with one another without the buzzing of the extra-net alerts or C-Sec feeds. She continued in Turian.

"...So, tell me what to do, Officer Vakarian."

Her voice was low and husky, picking up a hint of the rolling Turian subharmonics. Her words were pure heat in any language.

Garrus' voice was strangled by a low growl, almost a purr.

"Get rid of those clothes." He commanded and Maggie shuddered again.

She sat back on her heels, kneeling between his odd backward ankles. She kept dark, gleaming eyes locked on him as she steadily started to unzip the front of her engineering coveralls. Maggie had thrown them on over her pajamas in her haste to leave the barracks. Garrus' eyes followed her movements with academic fascination as she slid her arms from the sleeves, pushing the clothing from her shoulders and down to her hips. A simple military style tank-top covered her modest breasts - hardened nipples easily visible through the fabric.

Garrus reached out a three-fingered hand tentatively, moving along the underside of her ribcage and slowly exploring upwards. She seemed so small beneath his talons and Garrus was strangely amazed that his single hand could easily cover almost half her chest. He brushed over her one breast experimentally, testing the nipple curiously through the fabric, and then shifted and felt the other. Her breasts were a pert tear-drop shape and firmer than he would have expected based on the Fornax vids. Yet, he could sense the strength running underneath. Her nipples were quivering beneath her tank-top with each uneven breath.

Maggie removed the tank-top anxiously and quickly encouraged Garrus to return his hands, both of them this time, to her chest. Her skin was smooth and taught over lean muscle which he outlined with the tip of a talon. Eventually, curiosity drew him back to the darker, dusky-colored nubs in the center of her breasts. As he toyed with them, he watched her heart-rate spike through his visor and a muted gasp slipped past her lips.

"You like that?" he asked optimistically.

"Oh yes. It's even better with your mouth."

"Hmm." Garrus mused thoughtfully and pulled her roughly towards him.

Maggie laughed as she nearly tumbled tits-first into his face, catching her hands on the bed behind his fringe. She let out a yelp as the cold metal of his visor pressed into her skin and with an awkward chuckle Garrus pulled the device off and set it aside. Maggie pushed herself upright, straddling him, as Garrus returned his attentions to her body, nipping blunted lip plates around a nipple.

"_Gently…_" Maggie cautioned, trying to look down at him around the cowl of his fringe.

Garrus probed the taught buds with his tongue, licking from one to the other, causing goosebumps to spread out over Maggie's skin. Her flesh had a tangy sweetness to it and a unique texture that had him suckeling the tips of her breasts into his mouth more and more to savor it.

Always looking to improve his tactics, Garrus took his time exploring. Instinctually, his hands fell to her hips, rubbing and raking his talons over her curves. That would have driven a Turian woman wild. But, Maggie's hips were slender and curved and there were no open plates or spurs to tease. She didn't seem particularly impressed, so Garrus tried a new strategy.

Instead, he followed the curves up her back, gently raking his talons upwards along her skin. His arms encircled her and was rewarded with a blissful sigh. Her breathing was quickening and at this distance he didn't need his visor to hear her heart fluttering.

While Garrus explored, Maggie's fingers had slid from the bed to the exposed pebbled skin at the back of his neck and beneath his fringe. Her fingers and nails set to work along the nerves and sensitive hide which ran from cowl to crown. This part, she knew. She'd heard a lot from female Turians during her postings. The unplated back of the neck was where Turian males would bite down to hold their mates in place and express dominance. While more sensitive in female Turians, it was still an erogenous zone for males too.

Her gentle kneading and the rakes of her nails along his exposed flesh set Garrus' plates to shifting, his already painful erection struggling against his pants. His body shuddered as her fingers worked and his plating flushed with warmth. Garrus did his best to focus on the work of his mouth and ignore the sensations, but his body wasn't entirely listening. Despite his best efforts, the low rumbling growl of arousal started in his chest.

Maggie's fingers pulled away suddenly.

"Oh...I'm sorry! I thought Turians liked that!"

Garrus sighed at the loss of contact.

"We DO like that…Don't stop."

"But… You were.. uhm… growling?"

Garrus' shoulders shook with soft laughter.

"Because...I liked it…"

"Oh."

Maggie blushed awkwardly and slowly returned her fingers to their work. Garrus' eyes slid closed as he lost himself in the sensation. Turian women would never have used their talons on his exposed flesh and Maggie simply had so many tiny, deft fingers. It was an overwhelming sensation. With a little experimentation, she found the nerve clusters that were most enticing and set her nails to work with a vengeance. Garrus heard his growl return and didn't even try to check the sound.

Maggie had never seen Garrus look so blissfully relaxed. Eventually, she simply couldn't resist the urge and moved the fingers of one hand to his colony markings, tracing them from the bridge of his nose, under one eye and over his mandible.

Garrus' eyes fluttered opened and he smiled up at her.

"So, what else do humans do with their mouths?"

"Well… 'kissing.'" She said the word in Alliance Standard English, having absolutely no idea how to describe the gesture in Turian.

"I remember that...the mouth to mouth thing, right?"

"I think I'm still bruised from last time."

"Oh…Sorry."

"Practice makes perfect," Maggie giggled.

With that, she dipped her head down and pressed her lips to his mouth. While smoother and more pliable, they were still _plates _and lacked the forgiving squish of flesh. Maggie patiently instructed Garrus in the ways of the kiss. Not that she would precisely consider herself an expert. But, she gave him a few tips on pressure, movement, and the art of tongue.

Garrus' tongue was slightly rough while being longer, thicker, and overall just bigger than a human tongue. At one point, Garrus got a touch over-eager and Maggie's murmurs of pleasure turned into gasps for air as his tongue practically sealed off her throat. In the flailing, she determined just how sharp his teeth really were... bloody sharp. But, Garrus was a quick study.

After the fourth try, Maggie was breathless for an entirely different reason.

"You are wearing too many clothes." Maggie panted, her eyes still closed and her head still swimming from Garrus' last kiss. His head had dipped to her neck and he was fluttering his mandibles over her skin. Maggie groaned and dug her nails through his tunic and into shoulder plates in response.

_Apparently, women like that regardless of species,_ Garrus observed proudly to himself.

Outloud he added, "So are you."

Maggie pushed herself up to standing, her knees protesting after kneeling for so long. Garrus remained seated and watched appreciatively while Maggie wiggled herself out of the bottom half of her coveralls and kicked them aside with a long, svelte leg. She stood before him, wearing nothing but a tiny swatch of cloth over her hips. She let her hands roam over her own body and suddenly her scent hit him like a speeding transport. His growl redoubled in intensity and Maggie seemed incredibly pleased with herself at his reaction.

"Your turn," she prompted.

Garrus forced himself to move as slowly as possible, fearing that if he moved too quickly what little of his remaining self-control would crack. As he was learning more about Maggie's body, he quickly discovered that she was not as fragile as he was led to believe. Turians often talked about Humans like their bones would crack if you gave them a good shove. Well, maybe Joker's would. But, Maggie's body, while smooth, soft and deliciously cool to the touch, was anything but fragile.

He'd felt the strength in her muscles and the density of her frame. She was heavier than he'd thought too. Still light compared to a Turian, but sturdy enough to do good damage in a fight. Under her watchful eye, he stood and carefully unclasped the buckles of his tunic and tossed it aside to join Maggie's coveralls.

Garrus was startled by the sound of Maggie's gasp. Her eyes widened and fixed on him with an eerie intensity. Her reaction made him abruptly self-conscious of his own appearance; how strange and _alien_ he must look to her. He was embarrassed at just how obvious his own arousal was; growling and unsheathed in his pants already.

_I really am acting like a rookie, _Garrus silently chided himself. _Get it together._

Garrus was trying to kick his brain into gear to figure out something clever to say when suddenly Maggie's cool silken flesh was pressed flush against his fever hot plates. He groaned as her body slid against his and curled a leg around his thigh. Her movement pressed his erection between their bodies with only fabric between him and her sweet flesh. He could feel her fingers exploring his hips, a novice effort at teasing. Her teeth nipped at his neck and collar and his cock twitched in response between them.

His own embarrassment forgotten, Garrus slipped his much larger digits about her wrist and guided Maggie's questing hands. He hissed when she found the spurs and gaps of his sensitive waist. His growl was becoming insistent. Garrus had to close his eyes and focus on his ragged breathing before he really embarrassed himself and ruined his pants in the process.

"Maggie…" he tried to warn her.

To his relief, her body slipped away from his and Garrus took a moment to settle himself. Or, he tried to.

His avian eyes shot open when a wet tongue and the soft raking of blunt teeth replaced tiny human fingers at his exposed waist. Damn the girl for being such a quick learner. She was delicately sinking her teeth into the crevices between his plates at his sensitive and exposed waist. Another shudder ran through him.

He tried to push her away, but somehow the messages got crossed. Instead, she was pulling his pants down past his thighs and over his calf spurs, leaving them to pool at his ankles. Garrus squirmed backwards, stepping out of the clothing, only to find himself butting against the foot of his bed. He fumbled awkwardly, paralyzed by his own confusion and hormones.

Maggie was overwhelmingly pleased with how this was going so far. Garrus seemed to be really liking her explorations. She watched the plates of his chest flex with his rapid breathing and experimented with the areas of his narrow waist that he had demonstrated with his talons. Now, she was most excited for her first taste. She hadn't really had an opportunity to observe much of Garrus' body the last time they'd been together. This time, Maggie was determined to learn.

She knew mostly what to expect based on her time on Palaven - some talk simply couldn't be avoided in a barracks. But, hearing about these things and experiencing them were an entirely different matter.

Turians were just plain bigger than Humans in _every_ regard. Garrus was no exception. Maggie had no idea where he fell on the Turian spectrum, but by human standards Garrus certainly "measured up." His penis didn't have a head, like humans. Instead the rubbery blue flesh simply tapered into an angled tip with a single primary ridge running along the much more pronounced upward curve. The main large ridge splintered out into smaller twisting ridges from base to tip. Maggie could say from experience that those ridges were simply sublime.

She studied him for a moment, before settling herself back to her knees and slipping her hand around his base, closer towards where the exposed flesh joined with his separated groin plates. He was already coated in a faint bluish viscous slickness that Maggie just had to assume was natural, since male Turians provided all the substances in their couplings. She kept her other hand teasing his waist as she started to lower her mouth towards his tip.

Garrus practically jumped out of his plates and let out an undignified yelp. "W-whoa… hold on! What are you doing?"

Maggie blinked up at him, confused. "I want to taste you."

Garrus' mandibles were fluttering with alarm. "With… your… mouth!? Is.. that.. uhh… a human thing? Turians don't. Well.. your teeth aren't… are you sure?!" The near panic in his voice was now joined by anxious and uncomfortable subharmonic tones.

"Of course I'm sure! Human men love it."

Garrus looked uncertain. "I….Uhmm...not su-"

"Just relax, Garrus." Maggie purred in Turian, pausing to flicker her tongue over the tip of his penis. Garrus groaned.

"Close your eyes," she commanded. Garrus growled a non-verbal accent and obeyed.

Lowering her lips once more, Maggie began by suckeling lightly at the tappered tip and swirling her tongue around his girth. She proceeded to tracing his ridges with the tip her of her tongue. Then, did the same with licks. She was careful not to swallow, but none the less could feel his piping hot juices accumulating in her mouth. Garrus was dripping with the bluish goop.

Maggie expected the heat. She expected the fluid. But, she was startled by his metallic flavor. It was like licking the copper wiring of comm system. She used her hand to squeeze and stroke his base while her lips and tongue focused on the rest of his length. He was inhumanly hot, almost burning her throat and lips as she worked him briefly before pulling away and glancing up at him.

"I'll stop if you want me to," she offered.

"Spirits… don't stop." Garrus choked in reply and Maggie grinned, returning to her task with hungry enthusiasm.

Garrus had never felt anything like it. Her mouth was cool, wet, and constantly slithering around him. Her smooth tongue moved like nothing he'd ever felt before. The suction was making his toes curl and his hips were bucking involuntarily.

Turian women were what they were. Whatever size, depth, or angle they didn't change and generally the Turian male had to just adjust himself to make things work. But, Maggie's mouth - like other parts he remembered from before - gripped, adjusted, stretched and rippled over him in waves. Each movement made him quiver and tense. His mind was simply awash with sensation and his single overriding thought was to hold in the pleasure, hold himself back to stop himself from reaching his peak. If he was going to be successful, he needed to get her to stop and quick.

He ran his talons through her hair, hoping to gently push her away. Instead, she redoubled her efforts. Garrus' whole body spasmed and he looked down at her, struggling to find his voice.

That was a mistake.

Instead, he saw her dark sultry eyes oozing liquid lust looking straight up into his own. The pale light from his darkened windows cast over the curves of her smooth caramel skin as she knelt before him. He saw her lips wrapped around his tip along with both her hands around his length and her streaked hair entangled between his talons.

He was undone.

He came hard and nearly doubled over. His talons scratched her scalp and his roar was choked by his own contorting body. He bucked twice and managed to catch himself on the edge of the bed before his knees gave out beneath him. He tumbled back into the bed gasping for breath.

Maggie was caught entirely by surprise. She'd seen his desperate gaze and next thing she knew her fingers were being coated in slick blue liquid heat. She had readied her mouth to receive… something...and was pretty confused when everything she'd expected ended up dribbling between her fingers and down her wrists.

It was only then she realized those ridges running up and down his length were actually thickening and expelling burning hot ejaculate - while his tip remained relatively dry, even as she sucked it. Maggie remained on her knees as Garrus sank into the bed, blinking curiously at her own hands as her mind slowly wrapped around the unexpected development. She'd barely managed to wipe her hands off on her discarded tank-top before Garrus had scooped her up and pulled her onto the bed with him.

Maggie let out a surprised squeak as the Turian easily hauled her from her knees and into the bed like she weighed nothing at all. Garrus laid on his side and wrapped a long angular arm over Maggie, pulling her back tightly against his heated body. His plates were shifting again, each one was like a hot stone pressed against her. Garrus' deep growl had subsided into a low purr and he was nuzzling his face into the back of her head and neck. Maggie giggled softly at his odd behavior and attentions, feeling the heat of his body seep into her own.

"Oh. My. God. You're a cuddler!" Maggie laughed as Garrus wrapped his larger body securely around her own.

"Mmmnf? Spirits...Just give me a minute, Maggie," Garrus mumbled against her neck.

Maggie glanced at him over her shoulder, grinning.

"I might just give you two."

"Oh. You're so _very _generous."

"I know," she chirped.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Scoped and Dropped**

Maggie settled herself in the protective encirclement of Garrus' sharp angular limbs while the Turian recovered himself. Her head rested on his plated bicep and his free hand pet her from shoulder to hips in long, slow strokes. Garrus let his breathing settle as the pads of three digits roamed over her strange soft skin. He studied the woman in his arms in amazement.

He'd never known such quiet contentment.

Garrus' pets roamed further downward catching her panties in the process and peeling them downward along her legs. Maggie wriggled to assist in the process, eventually kicking the fabric aside. Garrus took his time caressing her, eventually following the soft skin upward and gently pushing her thighs apart. He felt her body flush with heat and suddenly Maggie's hand was gripping his wrist, holding him back from exploring further.

"I thought you needed a minute," she jested.

"That doesn't mean you do…"

"uhmm… How sharp are your claws exactly?"

"Do you trust me?" he purred against her neck, a long blue tongue flickering behind her ear to taste her flesh.

Her body responded of his own accord, melting against him and rocking her hips. She whimpered, her brain trying to exert logical control over hormonal responses and failing. Her answer left her lips as a soft gasp.

"Y-yes."

Her grip on his wrist loosened and Garrus chuckled. He pulled her leg gently until it hooked over his thigh, pulling her hips back possessively against him. His claws traced her inner thigh in teasing loops.

Garrus wasn't exactly sure what he'd be expecting. He knew her skin was soft without the rubbery pliability of an Asari's. Her smell was intoxicating now that the damp fabric was finally removed. Garrus traced the pads of his talons over the slickness he found, curling his claw and slowly pressing the tip into her. Her hips moved against him and with that encouragement he pressed deeper.

Garrus had been trained in reading the body language and unspoken cues of all species. It was a necessary skill for any C-Sec officer. Maggie's body language was anything but subtle. Her gasps and groans were all the instruction manual he needed and he followed the heat of her body as his guide. With a few adjustments, she was soon shivering, panting, and writhing in his arms.

Garrus was trying to hold the squirming girl steady as he explored her from the inside out. He soon found a firm nub that seemed to drive her wild. Her hips were grinding eagerly back against his own. Her firm ass drifted up and down his seam and he felt plates moving again at her teasing. Soon he was unsheathed again, grinding against the small of her back. He redoubled his efforts, dipping his head into her neck to suckle and lick her skin.

Together, their hips rocked steadily into his fingers to the time of Maggie's moans and cries. He didn't understand most of the words tumbling from her, she was no longer speaking in Turian. Suddenly, her hips bucked back into him hard enough to hurt his exposed cock. Her whole body tensed. She threw her head back and nearly headbutted him in the face. Garrus felt fluids drench his palm and ceased his movements when she contracted around his single talon. He hissed softly and tightened his embrace around the twitching, squirming, woman in his arms. Eventually, she stilled, panting heavily and coated in a thin sheen of sweat.

She looked back at him, dazed. He studied her face and his mandibles flared into a smile. It was the first time he thought a Human was truly beautiful. Her pupils were dilated and her face was flushed. Her lips were darker than usual and her expression smoldered with a predatory possession that spoke louder than any Turian growl. He couldn't look away and he traced her cheek with the back of his clawed hand.

"You look like you need a minute," Garrus teased.

"Two," Maggie panted with a weak smile.

Garrus grinned with pride. Doesn't matter what species you are, a satisfied woman does wonders for your ego. He shifted his body, pulling his arm out from under her head while gently rolling her onto her stomach. He studied the girl again.

Maggie stretched like a well-satisfied cat then settled herself back to the bed. She laid her head on her arms and murmured quietly in satisfaction. Again, he didn't understand her. But, it didn't really matter. Minutes ticked by. He raked his talon, still coated with her excitement, slowly over the curve of her ass.

"_Two_ minutes, huh? What if I'm not feeling generous?" Garrus dropped his voice to a sultry rolling purr, filling his subharmonics with the kind of tones that got banned from public vids back on Palaven.

He felt Maggie shudder next to him.

"Keep talking," she pleaded in the faintest whisper.

Garrus blinked at her. He wasn't quite prepared for this.

"Uhh… what should I say?"

Maggie huffed and rolled her eyes. "I don't care… just use that voice again."

Garrus propped himself up on an elbow, lazily running his talons over her hips and lower back. It was times like this he regretted maybe not knowing some literature or poetry. What the hell was he supposed to say? His mandibles clicked in thought briefly before he nuzzled his mouth next to her ear and repeated his seductive tonal purr.

"The Devlon Industries M-92 Mantis Sniper Rifle is the best one shot, one kill armor penetration model and has a single shot per clip - with nine clips in reserve."

The girl giggled beneath him. "Mmmm...that's sexy," she cooed.

"Because of the limited fire capacity, when I used that rifle...I always liked to... savor... the last ...shot... before…" he drew out the words, accentuating the phrasing by twirling the tip of his talon up her inner thighs. He paused until he felt her shiver again.

"...popping the heat sink."

Then, he gave her a hearty slap on the ass.

Garrus felt another surge of pride when she writhed and moaned. Her head shot up to look at him with embarrassed laughter and flushed cheeks. He grinned down at her, mandibles flaring and chuckling softly. They stared at each other for a moment, the unspoken conversation as clear and natural as oxygen.

You knew you found someone special when they got even more excited about shop talk than you did.

To his surprise, she curled her toes under her and flattened herself to the bed while arching her back and exposing her neck. It was a feat of athletics, considering the funny way her knees bent, but she was presenting herself exactly as a Turian female would. A wave of lust launched through him.

"Does this mean you're ready?" he asked, even as he was eagerly moving to cover her.

She started to mumble a reply, remembered their omni-tools were off, then repeated herself in Turian.

"Oh, hell yes."

Garrus slipped his body over hers as Maggie moved her hair to expose her neck and shoulder. He was amazed at her lithe flexibility, easily moving her legs apart and pressing herself back enticingly against him. He settled himself between her thighs, shivering as he felt the cool skin brush against his cock, slick and unsheathed.

This position was very traditionally Turian. The way her body moved to his, instead of the other way around, was disconcerting. He could imagine the more pious and traditional Turians would have about a million things to say about how this was wrong; and, yet it was so easy and _right_.

His thoughts tumbled right out of his mind when he caught her eyes, looking over her shoulder at him and smoldering with need. You never got that with a Turian woman, the cowl got in the way and you'd never see her eyes. His gaze was locked on hers and he whispered gently.

"Stop me if I go too far…"

Maggie smiled deviously.

"Never…"

She lowered her head to give him full access to her neck and Garrus took a long steadying breath before lowering his mouth to the joint between her neck and shoulder. The deep low growl was reverberating through his chest again and he imagined he could almost feel it returned through her skin. He licked tenderly along the flesh of her neck, reminding himself to keep his mandibles firmly closed and teeth behind his plates as he clamped them down around her shoulder and neck.

He felt her muscles tense as his weight settled on top of her. He purred the subvocal tone for trust, low and soothing against her skin as he settled his plates in their grip on her neck. She shuddered briefly before relaxing into him. Garrus applied just a hint more pressure against her skin before he rolled his hips forward and pressed himself into her.

Maggie had felt a momentary flash of panic claw through her gut when Garrus had pinned her with his body and mouth. She realized how completely helpless she was; a larger, stronger, male had effectively immobilized her body while his razor sharp teeth hovered inches from her jugular. Some primal self-preservation instinct screamed from the back of her mind and was immediately silenced by Garrus' soothing purr, she recognized the tone and it sent more shivers down her spine.

She relaxed only to tense again in pleasure when Garrus gently slipped deeper and deeper inside of her. He moved mind-numbingly slow and everything in the universe seemed to freeze except for the gradual movement of his hips, stretching, heating, and filling her. She hadn't even realized she was holding her breath until she felt his body press fully into her own and, in unison, they both exhaled heavily. Maggie was panting, suddenly short of breath. His heat burned inside of her.

_Holy...shit._ A voice somewhere in her mind exclaimed, though her actual voice was lost in pitiful gasps.

Garrus went still, waiting for Maggie to adjust and for the initial wave of sensation to subside. He was afraid to move a single muscle. He could feel instinct, pacing inside his mind like a hungry beast, trying to push past the cage of his self-control. His talons twitched against the bed, itching to claw, grab, and claim. The scent of her now was like a tangible thing, moving through his body and tingling under his flesh as he inhaled it.

Maggie's hips shifted, she bent her knees back in that unnatural way and hooked her toes on his calf spurs. The subtle change in position had them both moaning. Garrus growled against her flesh, still held in his mouth, as his hips began to slowly move entirely of their own accord, exploring her yet again.

Their pace started gradually, each carefully testing their comfortable range of movement. With a few pauses and nervous giggles aside, their bodies seemed to figure things out quickly enough.

As their rhythm fell into synch and their pace increased, Garrus' awareness slowly receded. With each euphoric stroke, sensation and raw desire gained leverage until his instincts were assuming direct control. He almost felt like an observer in his own body. His conscious and logical self watching with muted curiosity as animalistic need took over. But, on some primal level he knew he had to please his mate - it was a matter of pride.

Maggie, on the other hand, was acutely aware of everything taking place in and on her body. The pure temperature increase of Garrus body covering her own was making her head swim. His metallic plates pressed hard into her skin and muscles. At first, it was only the heat that bothered her. Later, Maggie reflected that Garrus' overwhelming body temperature was actually a benefit. He was so warm that the sweat beading on her skin prevented any plate-induced rug burn. It wasn't until the next day that she noticed the ache and bruising. It made her smile with recollection.

The warmth of his plates bore right into her until she felt like she was gasping. Well, she WAS in fact gasping but that was because every time Garrus moved Maggie forgot how to breathe. Every thrust short-circuited logical thought and her body's basic systems functions. She writhed beneath him, her body desperately seeking the micro-adjustments for more pleasure, but Garrus' mouth tightened threateningly on the back of her neck to still her. Maggie forced herself to remain motionless, despite the lightning bolts of trembling pleasure running up her spine.

Garrus' low growls formed the hints of subharmonic words and expressions against her skin. She could only make out pieces. The tones for beauty, goodness, affection, and the spirits. Maggie had a fleeting moment of insight about the deeper meanings of the Turian tonal language and how it allowed for this specific and erotic sort of non-vocal communication.

Before she could really appreciate the linguistic significance, Garrus pressed deeper and Maggie was seeing stars.

She jerked beneath him, her muscles tightening as the pleasure built and she trembled just shy of release. Maggie clawed at the bed. Usually, there'd be sheets or bedding or SOMETHING to grab onto, but this was a Turian's bed. There was nothing but the squishy give to the odd mattress and her nails dug in as she cried out.

Garrus stopped. His lip plates released her neck and he started to pull away.

"I-I'm sorry.. are y-"

"Oh god… _DON'T_ stop..." Maggie whimpered. In her desperate need, she forgot to speak in Turian and Garrus hesitated uncertainly, failing to comprehend. Somewhere in Maggie's hormone addled mind she managed to grasp onto a single word in the alien language.

"_More,_" she growled. "_more...more...more..."_

Garrus felt like he was ten feet tall. He slid his hand up her arm, interlocking his talons with her fingers digging into his mattress and went to work with long, deep strokes. Maggie's knuckles turned white and her moans matched his strokes. Garrus again dipped his head to the joint of her shoulder and neck and set his mouth against her soft skin. Instincts screamed at him to bare his teeth and mark the delicate unmarred flesh and at the last moment he caught himself. He clenched his jaw, tightened his mandibles and forced his mouth away from the temptation.

Maggie had been gasping and squirming, straining in her efforts to impale herself further on his cock. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. She was trying to slow down her thundering heart and ragged gasps. It didn't help matters that should feel Garrus' cock pulsing and twitching inside of her with each powerful stroke. He was deliciously hot and deep inside of her. When she tightened around him she could feel every curve, vein, and inch of him in exquisite detail. She felt his need and rocked weakly around his length enjoying each sensation as it fluttered through her body.

Garrus felt her body tensing beneath him and her nonsensical pleas grew more desperate. He didn't dare stop now. Maggie kept gasping the same words over and over like a prayer. Garrus only understood one of them.

"oh god… _more…_ please… _more…_. god.. yes...oh god...right there… yes, Garrus… _more…"_

His talons squeezed her fingers and he shut his eyes tight, but when she said his name his resolve started to crumble.

His strokes became jerky and desperate as he neared his peak. Somehow, Garrus held himself in check, trying to think about anything other than the writhing, wet and tight woman crying out in pleasure beneath him. His heart was racing and his muscles trembled with fatigue. He struggled to control the steady pressure building in his groin just behind his plates, where the mind-numbing pleasure roiled like a volcano ready to erupt.

Even Maggie's cool and soothing body couldn't stop the raw heat rushing to his cock. Despite his best efforts, his body was ramping up and preparing for release. He probably would have lost control already if it hadn't been for his earlier climax that evening. He really _really _just wanted to let go, submit to the pleasure and let his orgasm take his course, but not until his partner was satisfied.

Then, he remembered his voice.

"Let go for me, Maggie," he commanded in those rolling elicit tones.

And, Maggie obeyed.

At the sound of his voice, lightning shot down her spine. She couldn't tell the difference between her body, skin, sweat, or the air itself. All she could feel was rolling sensation and muscles clenched in stimulation. Maggie felt like her body was hovering at the edge of a solid state, like the very molecules that composed her were vibrating, waiting for one last push to collide into one another and vaporize themselves.

She was about to go nuclear.

Maggie went into seizures. Her body coiled in on itself like a spring as every muscle simultaneously contracted in exquisite pleasure. She couldn't even take in all of the beautiful ecstasy. She wanted to scream his name, but her diaphragm was so tight she couldn't inhale a breath. Shuddering waves of muscle spasms rippled through her as she clawed at the bed.

Garrus' own orgasm took him by surprise. He couldn't imagine Maggie's body feeling any better until she reached her peak and actually tightened around him. His growl shifted to a roar when his own muscles, entirely outside of his conscious control, erupted inside of her. His hips and internal pressures spasmed and set his whole body to shaking. The convulsions caused him to buck steadily into her until his load was spent.

Maggie's eyes rolled back into her head as Garrus kept going. His cock re-triggering the pleasure with every movement and holding her in that instant of euphoria. By the time his hips had stilled, she was a trembling, twitching, panting mass of jelly, completely incapable of movement. Garrus' chest heaved for breath against her. Their sweat mingled along with their fluids and their hearts pounded heavily in unison.

Eventually, Garrus found the strength in his shaking arms to roll himself over. He flopped onto his back with a happy sigh, then blinked and frowned when Maggie didn't move.

"Pyjack?"

"Mmmm?"

"You ok?"

"Mmmhmmm."

He slipped an arm beneath her and lifted her. Maggie was doing a great impression of a ragdoll as he easily rolled her towards him. Her head ended up pillowed in the gap between his shoulder and collar. Her body instinctively curled against his, drinking in his warmth.

"I… uhh.. hope that was good for-"

"Garrus," Maggie interrupted. "Scoped and dropped. Now go to sleep."

"Affirmative."

* * *

Garrus awoke alone. Nothing unusual about that. He'd woken up alone nearly every morning for the past six years since he'd moved to the Citadel. He hauled himself out of bed, stretched, and set about his morning routine.

But, it felt hopelessly empty without her.

Garrus had showered, pulled on the underweave of his armor and reached for the door panel of his bedroom. He paused there and glanced back over his shoulder at his empty bed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, relishing in the lingering scent of sex and human, and let his head drop in a rare moment of vulnerability.

_I thought she'd at least stay for breakfast,_ he sighed to himself.

Then, he touched the panel and stepped out to begin his day.

Immediately, the smell of food assaulted his senses. An instant breakfast steamed welcomingly at the terminal where Maggie sat working. He could tell it was work that occupied her by the way she chewed her lower lip in intense concentration. He stared at her in wonder and it was only when his chest started to ache with CO2 build-up that he remembered to exhale and breathe again.

"Good morning," she greeted him pleasantly without looking away from the terminal. "I hydrated your breakfast."

"Thanks. There was levo food for you too. It's in t-"

"I ate it already. It was fine." Maggie interrupted. She was obviously distracted and focused entirely on the terminal data that scrolled passed at blurring speeds. Garrus crossed the distance and hovered behind her, peering at the data.

"Ilos?"

"Yeah, I dug through your files. I hope you don't mind."

Garrus tried to hold back his smirk and casually rested an arm on the back of her chair.

"My security programs? Firewalls?"

"Challenging," Maggie acknowledged. "I've been up for a few hours."

"I haven't been home to update them…" Garrus tried to justify himself, then trailed off when he recalled what he had last been doing on that machine. He really hoped he'd remembered to close the Fornax searches.

Maggie turned and grinned up at him knowingly.

"So...You want to help me with some _other_ kinds of research?"

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Thanks for reading our side-story. We'll go back to the main fan-fic now I promise. A quick shout-out (again) to Roarkshop for the line "Doesn't matter what species you are, a satisfied woman does wonders for your ego." It was lifted with love. We'll do more stand-alone stories soon as *ahem* relationships develop. ^.^**_

See you on the other side!


End file.
